Ballet Nouveau Colorado's immediate future is up in the air after an unexpected fundraising plea this morning.

Ballet Nouveau Colorado is pleading for your help — and lots of it. The dance company, the second-largest in the metro area, sent out an e-mail early this morning asking patrons to contribute $198,000 by the end of the month to avoid “the suspension of operations.”

The last-minute plea comes seven months after the Broomfield-based nonprofit fired its executive director of 11 years, Lissy Garrison, and announced plans for a 3,500-square-foot expansion west of its current space. Since then the company said it has been working to trim expenses in advance of its 2010-2011 season.

“We’ve cut a total of what I think is nearing $150,000 from our budget through this process over the course of the past six months,” said artistic director Garrett Ammon. “It really has been across the board in every single area.”

The critically-acclaimed company, which also runs a school with more than 300 students, operated with a budget of $1.6 million for the 2009-2010 season.

Former executive director Garrison said the fundraising crisis was avoidable and pointed to high staff turnover in recent months as a sign of unrest.